Exercise machines generally provide safety advantages over exercising with free weights. However, some exercisers prefer the look and feel of exercising against a weight resistance provided by weighted plates, dumbbells or barbells. Thus, lever-type exercise machines which use weighted plates have been popular.
There are also other types of exercise machines. For instance, exercise machines of the pulley and chain type generally have a movable lever connected to an end of a chain, which extends around at least one pulley and has the other end secured to a selectorized weight stack, or a hub for holding weighted plates. Unfortunately, in addition to the selected weight from the stack or the weighted plates, these machines have inherent weight resistance due to the interaction of the movable mechanical components, particularly the chain and a meshing gear. If there is a variation in the lubrication condition of these mechanical components, this inherent weight resistance also varies. As a result, despite the amount of weight selected from a weight stack or the total weight of the plates used, an exerciser will often not know with certainty the actual value of the weight resistance he or she is exercising against. Because most exercisers prefer to monitor progress by recording the weight resistance that is exercised against, this lack of certainty represents a disadvantage. Thus, in addition to the psychological disadvantage of not simulating exercise with free weights, machines of this type suffer from the practical disadvantage of uncertainty in weight resistance.
In addition to these aspects of exercise machines, perhaps the most important aspect of any exercise machine is that it provide optimum muscular benefit for a particular exercise motion, without sacrificing safety.
Applicant has developed a substantial number of exercise machines which achieve these goals with respect to corresponding exercise motions. Generally, applicant has done this by utilizing a weighted lever adapted to move in a plane of motion, or oriented such that the weight resistance is directed against the movement applied by the exerciser in a way which accommodates the natural musculoskeletal makeup of the human body, For instance, applicant's incline press exercise machine optimally accommodates the performance of an incline press. The incline press motion involves extension of the arms from a retracted position in front of the chest to an extended position just above the face of the exerciser. During the motion, the arms move along planes which converge forwardly with respect to the position faced by the exerciser. The motion is primarily outward from the body and slightly upwardly.
Similarly, applicant has developed a bench press exercise machine, a decline press exercise machine and a behind the neck exercise machine which are adapted to accommodate the unique exercise motions implied by these names, and each of these exercise machines is adapted to naturally accommodate the musculoskeletal makeup of an exerciser with respect to these exercise motions.
None of these machines are adapted to accommodate a military press exercise motion. The military press motion is an important exercise motion to a substantial number of exercisers. Along with the bench press, the squat and perhaps the dead lift, the military press has been generally regarded as one of the most important strength training exercises. In a military press exercise motion, the exerciser extends the arms upwardly from a retracted position in front of the chest to an arm-extended position above the head. The motion is generally parallel to the torso of the exerciser, though it may be angled somewhat forwardly due to the natural tendency of the exerciser to move his or her head in a rearward direction as the back arches under relatively heavy weight resistance.